London -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- It may appear to be the height of bad taste : a collection of handguns clad in silver and studded with precious stones .

But although these weapons , which were produced by Tiffany & Co in the late 19th Century , were able to deliver lethal force , they were never designed to be fired .

`` So far as we know , the guns never killed anybody , '' says Pierre Terjanian , the head of the Arms and Armor department at the Metropolitan Museum of Art , New York , where a collection of seven such guns is kept .

`` They were produced to symbolize the potency of American manufacturing and craftsmanship , and were created using techniques that nobody else could equal . ''

Guns not blazing

Tiffany & Co had been producing decorative presentation swords that were awarded to American officers during the Civil War and Mexican-American War of 1846-8 .

In the 1880s , the company moved into firearms , taking delivery of standard-issue Smith & Wesson handguns and transforming them into one-off works of art .

They were clad in silver , etched with intricate designs , and studded with precious jewels . Each weapon was unique ; one was adorned with an American buffalo hunting scene , while others were inspired by Japanese or Islamic design .

These formed the centerpiece of the American display at the World 's Fair series of exhibitions , which started with the Great Exhibition in Crystal Palace , London , in 1851 , and then were held around Europe and the United States .

`` At the time , a great aura surrounded the Wild West in Europe , '' says Terjanian . `` It was at the time of the closing of the frontier , and people were already thinking nostalgically about it .

`` Tiffany took Wild West symbolism and combined it with high-quality craftsmanship . It confirmed that Tiffany was an American firm with global ambitions , which could do things that nobody else could . ''

Uniquely beautiful objects

Among the techniques that the weapons showcased were advanced enameling -- two colors were blended together in a way that had never been seen before -- and the use of chemical etching , as opposed to straightforward engraving .

Tiffany & Co also produced a Winchester rifle , which was famously used in the conquest of the West . Although it was technically able to fire bullets , the thick silver cladding made it impossible to disassemble and clean , and the heavy ebony wood made it too heavy to use effectively .

Despite the focus on display , several weapons were purchased by American businessmen , including Jason `` Jay '' Gould , the prominent railroad magnate . According to Terjanian , a particularly beautiful weapon -- which had a butt made of carved ivory -- was acquired by a well-known sharpshooter named John Wynans , who used it to demonstrate his skills .

In all , about 50 guns were produced by Tiffany . The project was abruptly discontinued in 1911 , when New York adopted gun control laws .

`` These are very important objects , '' says Terjanian . `` They showed that objects may have a function , but their symbolic meaning can be greater .

`` They stood not for combat but for handiwork and the imagination . They surprised and impressed everybody , and acted as ambassadors for Tiffany & Co and for the United States . ''

The future Underground : London 's new spaceship-style tube trains

Did artists eerily predict the Ukraine crisis ?

Would you eat Fukushima soup ?

The lost art of the American pin-up

@highlight

Tiffany & Co produced about 50 decorative guns

@highlight

They were intended as a showcase for craftsmanship and a symbol of American power

@highlight

The largest surviving collection is held by the Metropolitan Museum of Art , New York